


to set the world in motion

by GuardianKarenTerrier



Series: tumblr prompts/ask game answers [1]
Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Angst, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Podfic Welcome, Protective Luka Couffaine, Tumblr Prompts, desperada spoilers, kid! chat noir, kid! ladybug
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-07
Updated: 2019-10-13
Packaged: 2020-10-11 12:48:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,377
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20546405
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GuardianKarenTerrier/pseuds/GuardianKarenTerrier
Summary: "Well," Sabine says, much more thoughtfully than Ladybug had expected or been prepared for.  "If we legally adopt you both, son, that might make the wedding a bit tricky.""Ma-Madame Cheng!" Ladybug exclaims, feeling herself flush brightly.  "I'm- I'm flattered, really, thank you, but this- this should only be temporary, we don't really need-" Marinette swallows, trying not to look at Chat Noir.  "Um, adoption."She shoots a quick glance over at her partner after all, but his sudden starstruck look is both the opposite of reassuring and sends some unidentifiable emotion shooting through her.  She knows he's been enjoying this particular akuma fight more than she has- she has the really, deeply unsettling sense that Chat Noir didn't have this kind of fun as a child before and he seems to be trying to make up for as much lost time as possible as fast as possible.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [AlexSeanchai](https://archiveofourown.org/users/AlexSeanchai/gifts).

> this and _by reaching out for each other's hands_ were both for a tumblr ask game (send me 2 sentences and I’ll continue them like they’re lines from a fanfic), but i know my own track record with keeping track of fics i leave only on tumblr so im posting them here too
> 
> this one is from alexseanchai's prompt, which was _Sabine: "If we legally adopt you both, son, that might make planning the wedding a bit tricky." Ladybug: "Ma--Madame Cheng!" _

"Well," Sabine says, much more thoughtfully than Ladybug had expected or been prepared for. "If we legally adopt you both, son, that might make the wedding a bit tricky." 

"Ma-Madame Cheng!" Ladybug exclaims, feeling herself flush brightly. "I'm- I'm flattered, really, thank you, but this- this should only be temporary, we don't really need-" Marinette swallows, trying not to look at Chat Noir. "Um, adoption." 

She shoots a quick glance over at her partner after all, but his sudden starstruck look is both the _opposite_ of reassuring and sends some unidentifiable emotion shooting through her. She knows he's been enjoying this particular akuma fight more than she has- she has the really, deeply unsettling sense that Chat Noir didn't _have_ this kind of fun as a child before and he seems to be trying to make up for as much lost time as possible as fast as possible.

When she's honest with herself about it, Marinette's pretty sure that they both enjoy fighting villains more than they should. They still aren't usually having _this_ much fun unless it's Max that's been akumatised. (They're never thrilled to see anyone akumatised, but Max has given them opportunities to pilot a giant robot and leap into a video game- to say that fighting him hasn't been fun would be such an _obvious_ lie).

This time Marinette had missed both the akuma's actual monologue and explanation, because even though Chat Noir had been as quick as ever to tackle her out of the way the akuma has such a ludicrously fast recharge time that she'd had no trouble firing again.

Chat Noir had still _tried_ to throw himself over her again. Marinette is relieved he wasn't successful, because he already looks about _five_ _years old_, and she doesn't want to test whether the effect is cumulative- but that means that _she's_ currently in the body of a five year old, too.

She hadn't noticed when it was just Chat who'd been hit, but the akuma's youth ray seems to change more than just their bodies. Her Lucky Charm had been her own cat pillow in red-spotted glory and Marinette had spent too long staring at and fretting over it, to the point where they'd both had to hide to retransform.

And the bakery had been close by.

And the Lucky Charm _had_ seemed to indicate that was where they should go.

And there's a tiny, terrified part of her that's cropped up since first being hit that had been _crying _out for her mother.

They'd both retransformed crouched on either side of a bakery counter, barely out of each other's sight, and then before Marinette could get past her disappointment that they were both still children Maman had appeared only to exclaim over them both.

Maman laughs now, which is _also_ not terribly reassuring. "Oh, sweethearts, I'm mostly kidding. I know you'll be back to your normal selves as soon as you defeat the akuma." She eyes Chat Noir knowingly, though, and adds, "Although, I might remind you that it isn't only young children who can be adopted. There _are_ teenage adoptions, you know. It might raise some difficulties to adopt you both but I can't see that anyone would want to separate you, any more than I would keep my own daughter from her best friend."

Marinette viciously strangles any and all noise that tries to escape her throat at that.

Chat Noir does no such thing, letting out a sound that's more cat than human in his delight, and this time Marinette turns to face him entirely.

He looks as happy as she's ever seen him. His ears and tail are both giving happy constant twitches, and his purring isn't the loudest she's heard it but it's getting close, and his eyes have dilated wider than she's seen them since the time Venom Rose had conjured catnip all around them.

The longer Marinette looks at her partner, the more the sudden crack in her heart widens. He looks- he looks _so happy_ about the prospect of adoption. He looks _way _too happy about it.

Marinette's not even going to think about her mother's offer to adopt _her_. Ladybug is used to a certain level of identity shenanigans, because it's already a struggle juggling Alya and Nino knowing about each other and everyone knowing about Chloe and _Adrien _knowing about Viperion while Chat Noir knows about Aspik, which she _still _hasn't found a good way or time to explain to her partner-

"Kids," Maman says gently, breaking through Marinette's racing thoughts. "_Can_ you fight like this? Do you need help?" She reaches behind her without looking and seems to let a broom handle hop into her hand. "I may not be a superhero, but I do know how to fight."

"You do?" Chat Noir breathes, finally breaking his silence. He's bouncing on the balls of his feet now, tail tip twitching rapidly. 

Maman laughs. "Dear, I'm a mother. Of course I do. How else would I make sure my daughter knows how to fight, too? Although I admit she has a much better handle on strategy than I do, even at her age!"

Ladybug finally, _finally_ breaks herself out of her deepening worry over her partner's enthusiasm to wrap an arm around his elbow and tug before her mother can say anything else embarrassing or potentially dangerous. She does _not_ need Chat Noir to think of Marinette as being a strategist. "I'm really grateful, Ma- Madame Cheng, but it isn't safe without our powers. We'll be alright if we stay together, but thank you so much for your generosity!"

"If you're sure," Maman says, looking honestly disappointed. "But I want you both to know you can come back here anytime, okay? Any time at all , and if you need anything at all."

Marinette thinks that's the end of it, and she finally gets her partner to move in the direction of the door, only to stop when she hears her mother speak up one last time. 

"I meant it about the adoption," Maman says gently. "For both of you. I don't know your home lives, but you spend a lot more time fighting for all of us than you do at home- _especially_ you, Chat Noir, we have all seen how you protect your partner. And no matter your decision- really, you are welcome any time. There is _always _space for one or two more at dinner."

"T-thank you, Madame Cheng," Marinette manages, desperately looking away from her partner because the hope and happiness suffusing his face at her mother's offer is _too much_. It's _way_ too much. 

It makes her already-cracking heart sink down to the soles of her feet, because she knew already that Chat Noir doesn't have the happiest home life, but she didn't think it was so bad that he would be _this_ over the moon about being invited to share _her_ home life. 

It would be so dangerous to start having him over for dinner regularly. 

But he looks so _happy_, the expression transforming his child's face in a much more _open_ way than she's used to seeing on him at their real ages. The mask does nothing to hide his delight. 

She's going to have to invite him. 

She doesn't know how she's going to handle Ladybug not making it to family dinners they've _both_ been invited to, not without either hurting his feelings (because her goofy partner is far more sensitive than almost anyone has realised) or risking too many dropped hints. But she's going to have to figure out some way around that.

"You're sure you don't need help, you two?" Maman asks worriedly as she opens the door for them. "You should gather some of your allies, at least."

Marinette immediately pictures a five year old Chloe and winces. Five year old Alya, while an intriguing thought, also doesn't strike her as a good idea.

But she's known Nino forever and she's confident he can keep his head in battle even if he suffers the same age reversion as they both have, and she thinks Luka would have no trouble remaining calm and focused as well. Plus, Second Chance means that Luka can _stay_ an adult even when the rest of them are struggling.

"We'll get our allies," she assures her mother, even though she feels a little odd about it. "We'll all be okay."

"-just come back here if you still need help," Maman says firmly. "Both of you! Partners should stick together."

Chat Noir is practically vibrating with happiness as he exclaims, "We will!"

Maman smiles. "Good luck then, Chat Noir, little bug."

For the very first time Marinette takes Chat Noir with her to Master Fu's. Master Fu had given her a go-ahead on it after Desperada, after Marinette had spilled the day's events to him out of a desperate need for reassurance only for her Master to gently point out that she knows very well who the most reassuring presence in her life is and it certainly isn't _him_. 

And for the first time he'd said it was time to be more honest with her partner, time to begin to let Chat Noir in on more secrets.

As paranoid as it makes her, Marinette _wants_ to involve him more. She knows it hurts him not to know, that he feels like she doesn't trust him when that couldn't be further from the truth.

Master Fu doesn't seem terribly surprised to see their child forms or that they've shown up together. He slides the Turtle Miraculous off without being asked and hands it to Marinette, then raises a questioning eyebrow when she hesitates over the Snake Miraculous and looks at Chat Noir.

She looks between him and Master Fu, distraught and unsure how much of her upset is due to their forcibly changed ages.

"You know the wisdom of your choices better than I ever can, Ladybug," Master Fu says gently. "If you think it is wise, then let it be so."

Marinette takes a deep breath, then turns to Chat Noir and says, "I can go and get Carapace. Can you bring this to Luka Couffaine? He lives on the Seine, on a boat called the Liberty. He shouldn't be too hard to find."

Chat Noir's pupils dilate again, with happiness or shock or both, she isn't sure. "I-I'll go straight there. Thank you for trusting me with this, my Lady!"

Marinette stares after him, her heart pounding in a way it does _not_ have her permission to do, and realises that if he's this happy and Maman is that determined then there is no way her parents aren't about to adopt a stray Chat as thoroughly as they possibly can. 

It's not necessarily a displeased realisation. 

He looked so _happy_. She's used to his light-hearted humour, but she's never seen his whole being light up when it had when Maman had started teasing about adopting them both. 

The more Marinette thinks about it the more she starts to like the idea. Chat Noir seems to waver between just fit enough and skinny enough to worry her, and knowing that he's eating dinner with her would be a relief. Knowing that he's getting a little more of the affection he seems to crave so badly will be a relief.

Letting go of her worries and accepting that her family has maybe (definitely) gained a Chat by now, Marinette takes off herself to find Nino. Navigating at this age and size is marginally more difficult but far more fun and she can live with that trade-off.

And the sooner they defeat this akuma the sooner she can make sure that no matter what Chat Noir's real home life is like, he'll have an escape to her own family.

(And if she tries really hard she can ignore the screaming revelation that her _mother_ is apparently a Ladynoir shipper).


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i did not intend a second chapter but _welp_

Luka is definitely missing a lot of crucial information about this fight, primarily why _exactly_ there are suddenly far more small children in the area than he's ever seen here before, but that doesn't stop him waving as many people onto the Liberty as he thinks will fit. The villain doesn't seem to be going for anyone who's gotten out of sight, meaning that anyone Luka can get into the cabin or wheelhouse should be safe. 

Luka isn't initially making a distinction between children and adults as he tries to usher everyone to safety. 

Juleka and Rose take him by surprise.

He hadn't realised the villain was _de-aging_ people. He hadn't stopped to look that closely at anyone he'd guided onto the Liberty and _out _of the line of fire.

"Jules? Rose?" Luka keeps his voice as quiet as he can as he addresses the two little girls hovering uncertainly behind a nearby trashcan and clinging to each other. "Is that you?"

"Ye-es," Rose says, voice breaking in a way Luka hasn't heard in years, and Luka goes to both girls and starts to herd them towards the boat. "Luka, what's going on?"

"I'm not sure, Rose," Luka says honestly, scanning the sky cautiously before giving them both very gentle pushes towards the boarding plank. "But I'm sure Ladybug and Chat Noir will be here to figure it out soon."

He's not as sure of that as he'd like to be, because he'd _definitely_ seen them fighting a good ten or fifteen minutes ago but he hasn't seen either of them since. He's still confident that they'll be back to finish the fight but he doesn't know _when_. The villain's still somewhere in this area, judging by the number of people he's guided onto the Liberty, and the ship herself seems to be the only place the akuma _hasn't_ thought to target yet.

And the Liberty is both going to run out of room soon, and going to be much more noticeable with as many people as he has holed up on her- they aren't _all_ going to be able to keep out of sight indefinitely.

Luka takes several cautious steps backwards, tilting his head back to scan the area again. Still no sign of the heroes. 

He can't see the villain, either, but he _can_ hear them laughing close enough for his concern to jump several notches.

"Luka?" Juleka asks hesitantly, turning back towards him when they're partway down the plank.

Luka shakes his head at his sister, swinging his guitar off his back and continuing to retreat. "Jules, I need you and Rose to keep everyone on the boat."

"_Luka_?" Rose echoes, looking much more lost, and Luka tries not to wince because he knows what he's about to do is likely to upset Rose and Juleka both. 

"Keep everyone on board," he repeats, firmly. "Take everyone downriver if you have to, I know you can take care of them."

He turns on his heel and starts sprinting away before he can hear their alarmed responses.

Juleka alone would follow him, but she won't leave Rose behind to do it, and Rose won't leave a ship full of people he's asked them to protect.

Luka's ready to strike the most dissonant chord he can while running, to draw the akuma away from the Liberty, and it's only a blur of black and blond striking him _hard_ around the knees that stops him.

It's not enough to knock him over, only to force him to rock back on his heels, but Luka still has a moment's flashback to Adrien shoving him out of the way of Desperada's attack. He shakes it off quickly to look down at the child clinging to him. 

At the _superhero_ clinging to him.

Chat Noir has looked earnest and alert just about every time Luka's encountered him, but not like this. Luka wasn't ready for the full force of those bright green eyes in a five year old face, and Chat Noir's all-black suit makes his eyes seem even brighter, and he's lighting up with the smile he's giving Luka.

"_I found you_," Chat Noir crows, breathlessly, and then he _giggles_, and Luka spends a very strange moment standing there with a tiny Chat Noir clinging to him and wondering what in the _world_ is going on. He knows now why Chat Noir had to leave the battle earlier, at least, but now he has _new_ questions.

"...you sure did. Good job," Luka says, not knowing what else _to _say, and then he gives in and ruffles Chat's fluffy hair. For some reason that makes the de-aged superhero _beam_ at him. "Chat Noir, why...." Luka trails off. 

He'd been about to ask Chat Noir why he wasn't going after the akuma but Chat Noir is a little _kid_ and looking up at Luka trustingly, like _Luka_ is the one here with superpowers right now, and Luka is absolutely not going to ask a five year old to run into a battle even if that five year old _is_ Chat Noir.

"Luka?" Chat Noir says, tilting his head, and one of his ears flops forwards in a way Luka's not sure he's ever seen it do on an adult-sized Chat. Chat Noir's tail is twitching a lot more than usual, too, but he's pretty sure those are the same happy little lashes he sees when the hero is around Ladybug. 

It's a little weird to see him doing it _without_ Ladybug around, but Luka _has_ seen it before.

Exhaling, he replaces his guitar on his back and carefully kneels in front of Chat Noir. After a moment's thought he also rests both hands on Chat Noir's shoulders, gently trying to focus Chat's attention in his direction. Chat Noir at his correct age can be easily distracted- Luka doesn't know if that's more prominent at _this_ age. He'd better find out, and quickly. "Chat Noir, _why _were you looking for me?"

If he'd thought Chat's expression had been bright before it turns _blinding_ now. "Oh, LB sent me! I have, she sent me with your-" Chat Noir wriggles, trying to dig something out of his suit pocket but to press into Luka's hands at the same time, and Luka has to hastily grab one of his wrists in a loose grip before the hero can scratch himself- Luka knows now just how sharp those claws are.

Chat Noir freezes up when Luka grabs his wrist, going far too still for comfort, and Luka lets go as fast as possible at the way the hero tenses. Chat Noir goes right back to scrabbling in his pocket, but much more carefully now, and he's still holding the wrist Luka grabbed awkwardly even though Luka is _sure _he didn't hurt him. He doesn't think he could have even if he'd been someone who _meant_ to, not with Chat Noir's suit protecting him. 

"Are you all right?" Luka asks, worried now, trying to discreetly check Chat Noir for injuries. He doesn't _know_ that Chat Noir would try to hide it if he was hurt but he definitely _suspects_ it. 

Chat's ears flick, then flatten back. "M'fine. Here!" He finds what he's looking for and thrusts it out, nearly fumbling it, and Luka blinks down at the Snake Miraculous as Chat Noir puffs up slightly. "Ladybug sent me with your Miraculous!"

Luka hadn't talked to any of the others long enough to notice, but he's realising now that the akuma's de-aging attack doesn't seem to be _only_ physical. 

Chat Noir is staring at him, radiating hope again, and his ears flicker back upright as his tail gives another proud lash.

(But Luka's not going to forget that odd little flinch-and-freeze anytime soon).

Luka smiles softly at Chat Noir, getting back to his feet and slipping the bracelet on. He nods politely to Sass as the kwami appears. "Thank you, Chat Noir. Sass-" Luka grins at the snake kwami. "Scales, slither!"

Once he's transformed, Viperion quickly crouches down to address Chat Noir again. "Where are we meeting Ladybug, then?"

Chat's face falls. "I, uh, didn't think to ask her." His ears press flat again as his whole body seems to droop, and he gnaws his lip as he mumbles, "Sorry."

That is _definitely _more than just a physical change. Luka's going to have to pay attention to how he acts around Chat Noir, because that odd little moment has him very worried. _"_That's okay, Chat. We'll find her. You two have communicators, right?"

Chat Noir perks right back up so fast that Luka is a little taken aback. "Yeah! I can call her!" 

"Why don't you do that, and-" Luka stops. 

"And what?" Chat Noir asks him anxiously. 

Luka half-raises his hand to his mouth, intending to wave Chat Noir quiet, and thinks better off it when that odd little flinch runs through his mind's eye again. Whispering instead, Luka says, "I hear something. I think we should- _MOVE!_"

Luka reacts faster than he thinks would be possible without Sass' help, rolling forward and snatching Chat Noir up so that he can haul them both out of the way of the villain's beam. Chat Noir clings to him again, wide-eyed, except that this time he's looking back over Luka's shoulder as Luka sprints to the closest shelter he can see and twists his bracelet. 

"Second Chance," Luka gets out just in time, because it's not until _after_ he sees the snake's head click back that he feels a beam hit him in the back.

Luka stumbles as he rapidly loses height and drops Chat Noir.

Luka's twisting time back before the other boy can hit the ground.

Luka writhes sideways just in time to avoid the blast this time, clutching Chat Noir as the other hero squirms because Luka is _not_ going to drop him again. 

He thinks back to the Liberty, to the way the villain hadn't been attacking anyone he couldn't see, and when Luka ducks under a rusting fire escape he doesn't duck back out. Instead he scoots backwards, still holding securely on to Chat Noir, until they're both well out of sight. 

When Luka looks at him again, Chat Noir is frowning pensively. One sharp canine is caught on his lower lip when he looks up at Luka. "The bad guy won't attack us if he can't see us, will he?"

It is _definitely_ not just physical. 

"No, Chat Noir," Luka replies, keeping his voice as soft as possible and stepping on the urge to call him _kitty_. He's pretty sure that's a Ladybug-only nickname; he's not about to use it without explicit permission. "That's why I was hiding everyone. He doesn't seem to be checking inside any buildings or even under any structures. So long as we're out of sight, I think we're safe."

But Luka's very aware that he only has a five minute time frame to work with now, and they _need _Ladybug. 

He looks down at Chat Noir, still snuggled up against him trustingly and blinking bright green eyes at him, and Luka's heart stutters for a second. He's always _liked_ Chat Noir, and he only has more respect for him after fighting at his side, but that's not the same as having a child version of the hero trust him with his safety. Because Chat Noir _is_ trusting Luka with his safety- Luka hasn't set him down, true, but if Chat Noir _wanted_ to be out of Luka's arms he would be.

They need Ladybug to _win_, because they'll need both the Lucky Charm and the Miraculous Cure, but-

But it isn't as though Viperion and Chat Noir aren't perfectly capable fighters, too. 

"Chat Noir?" Luka cautiously ruffles the other hero's hair again, raising an eyebrow when it earns him an actual purr. Luka's learning a lot of things he's not sure he wants to know today and he's starting to think they're things Ladybug may _need_ to know. He knows she's on record more than once saying that she and Chat Noir are just friends, but he also knows that isn't exactly _true_. Even before he'd fought _with_ them Luka could tell that their partnership isn't 'just' anything. Whatever it is between them, though, they so clearly love each other- and he's absolutely certain that if Ladybug thinks Chat Noir's hurting she'll move heaven and earth to help him. 

That Chat Noir would do the same for her is far beyond question. Their fights are televised frequently and the level of devotion Chat Noir shows is, sometimes, both intimidating and a little bit terrifying.

"Viperion?" Chat Noir says, a little hesitantly, and this time when his tail flicks it taps against Luka's side and makes him _very_ aware of how small Chat Noir is right now. "What is it?"

-Luka can't do it. He can't send a five year old Chat Noir into battle, he _can't_. Even if his conscience would let him Ladybug would never forgive him for putting her partner in that kind of danger and she'd be _right_ to be angry with him.

"I need you to stay here, and stay out of sight," Luka says, slowly, hugging Chat Noir tighter for a moment and hoping that Chat is willing to listen to him. "Call Ladybug, tell her where we are. I'll distract the villain."

"But," Chat Noir starts, looking distraught in a way that sends pangs through Luka. 

Chat Noir's communicator buzzes before he can finish his objection. 

When he answers it, Luka's-

He's not _surprised_, exactly, to see that Ladybug's been de-aged too. He thinks if Ladybug had retained her normal age it would be _her_ reassuring her partner, that it would be her arms that Chat Noir would be snuggled into. 

Luka's not holding him here. Chat Noir could have squirmed out of his grasp at any time.

Instead Chat Noir's only leaned _further_ into him, like he's savouring the close contact as much as he can. 

Luka is going to have to find a way to talk to Ladybug without Chat Noir. He can't imagine she hasn't noticed all the small things that indicate her Chat might not have the happiest life outside of their time spent fighting supervillains, but it's always possible that he isn't quite so _obvious _at his real age. 

"I found Viperion," Chat Noir chirps happily at the communicator, and he lets out an actual cat chirrup noise a moment later.

Luka's pretty sure that's because Ladybug praises him immediately with, "Good job, kitty. Is the akuma still over by the Seine?"

"Yes, Ladybug," Luka says, careful to check first that he isn't talking over Chat Noir. "I hid everyone I could on the Liberty, but now he's after _us_, and I've already had to use Second Chance once." He's seriously considering that he may need to retransform so that he _can_ use Second Chance again. Chat Noir had hung around just long enough after Luka's first fight to explain a little bit about kwami and recharging, and Luka's fairly certain that's because Chat Noir _expects_ that Viperion will be more useful if he can reset to different save points during a fight rather than being confined to a single five-minute span.

Right now his five-minute time span includes only himself and Chat Noir, so Luka's inclined to think he's right.

Luka never _has_ figured out why it was Chat Noir who waited up to talk to him and not Ladybug. Luka's seen them fight, he knows strategy is Ladybug's domain, but it had still been Chat Noir who'd told Luka how to prepare for a chain of transformations rather than just one. 

"I'll be there as quick as I can," Ladybug promises. "Carapace is with me, we shouldn't be too long. Get inside if you can and Viperion, keep an eye on your time. Chat Noir, _please_ be careful for once!"

"I can be careful," Chat Noir protests. His ears and tail both flick again and Luka realises the young hero actually sounds _hurt_. "You _know _I can be careful!"

"Yes," Ladybug says, ducking her head for a moment and rubbing at one eye before she looks at the communicator again. Behind her, the edge of Carapace's costume is just visible now. "Yeah, kitty, I know you can be. That's why I'm _asking_ you to be, I don't want-" Her voice wavers. "Just please stay with Viperion until we get there?"

Viperion frankly has no intention of letting Chat Noir out of his sight, but he's still relieved when Chat nods reluctantly and says, "I will, LB. Hurry?"

Once the communicator's off again- and Luka has no idea why this villain doesn't seem to be tracking by _sound_, only by sight, but he's glad for it- Chat Noir starts to let go of Luka and hesitates. 

Luka doesn't hesitate himself. Instead he shrugs Chat Noir further into his arms, wincing inwardly a little when that makes the hero cuddle close to him again. It's hardly a secret that Ladybug and Chat Noir are extremely tactile partners but they _are_ partners, and it's frequently a practical issue during a fight as well, so up until relatively recently Luka hadn't thought anything of it.

But the hero's patrols have been bringing them much closer to the Seine over the past few months, close enough for Luka to realise that calling them _patrols_ at all has never been anything but misleading.

Mom has never cared if Luka or Juleka or Rose or all three decide they need to get some air at any time of the night or day, so Luka will frequently get up and go for a walk late at night when he can't sleep. He knows very well why most people never see the heroes relaxing after or during their patrols- he's found a few of their hiding places. 

He's seen them curled up under bridges more than once now, half-hidden in the support structures with their silhouettes blending into each other as they huddled together. He's seen the way Chat Noir will curl up with his head in Ladybug's lap while she curves an arm protectively over his back and scratches between his ears. He's seen the way they keep close together even when they aren't fighting, when there's no one else around, when it's only the two of them and they don't seem willing to give up their close contact with each other. 

He still doesn't know _exactly_ what's going on between the two, but anyone with _eyes_ can see that they love each other- and that a lot of that love is conveyed by touch. A lot of it, too, is in the way their eyes will meet during a battle and they'll clearly communicate a whole world of information without ever saying a word. 

But he's never thought very hard about _why_ they might both be so tactile. 

They fight for the city constantly, and a lot of those fights require them to be comfortable in each other's space, but this seems like more than that. Chat Noir clearly does _not_ want to let go of him, and- Luka isn't Ladybug. Luka's not his partner. 

Chat Noir is clinging anyway, and he'd had that odd little reaction before, and Luka's starting to wonder a lot more about Chat Noir and Ladybug's civilian lives than he ever has before. Luka could, at least in theory, talk to Adrien about it if he started having trouble handling his own responsibilities as Viperion. He's not sure Ladybug and Chat Noir can talk to anyone but each other.

And he's not sure how much they've told each other. There's a _lot_ of debate about whether the two heroes know each other's identities, but Luka honestly doesn't think that they do. He can't articulate _why_ he thinks that but he definitely _does_.

"Should we move?" Chat Noir whispers, jarring Luka from his thoughts. "Before LB gets here?"

Luka looks down at him and finds those vivid green eyes blinking up at him with a level of trust that is, frankly, deeply alarming. Chat Noir should have no reason to be looking at Luka like that.

Until Ladybug gets here Chat Noir should be in _charge_, not Viperion, but he thinks that's gone out the window by now. 

"Yeah, Chat," Luka says, keeping his own voice soft. He doesn't know _why_ Chat Noir startled so badly earlier. He shouldn't raise his voice with an akuma nearby anyway, and Luka already isn't prone to raising his voice at all, but he also doesn't want to scare Chat Noir again. 

Because for that split second before he'd jerked away Chat Noir _had_ looked scared.

Luka takes a deep breath and gestures carefully behind them. "_Don't_ use your Cataclysm, but can you see another way in?"

Chat Noir studies the wall behind them intently before nodding. "There's a door just past the fire escape. I can get us in."

"Don't use Cataclysm," Luka warns him again, feeling weird about giving _Chat Noir_ any kind of directions. Chat Noir has been a hero for months, and the akuma attacks have ramped up to near daily, and Viperion has only been in a handful of battles. He should be following the other hero's lead, not the other way around.

The other hero is a little kid, and from his reactions and quiet comments it's more than a physical change. 

Luka stumbles upright, not wanting to drop Chat, and hugs the wall to keep them both out of sight as he makes his way to the door. 

True to his word, Chat Noir can get them in without using Cataclysm. He reaches out and prods at the door briefly, then sinks his claws into one side of the door and tugs until it creaks open enough for the two of them to slide in. 

It's dark in the building. Luka's not sure where they are, but the place had looked abandoned. Whether it had _already _been abandoned, or if it had been abandoned since this particular attack had started is another matter.

Chat Noir turns in his arms, flicking ears brushing briefly against Luka's chest as he tilts his head, and perks up. "I love night vision."

"You have night vision?" Luka asks, oddly derailed from the villain waiting just outside. 

Chat Noir nods eagerly, his tail lashing with enough energy to strike Luka in the side more than once. That's not pleasant with the belt buckle on it, but Luka's suit takes so much of the impact that he barely notices. "Yeah! Ever since I got to be Chat Noir! It's great, I can get out at night all the time now, no one else can see like I can!"

Luka's worry kicks up another notch, but now he's also worried that if he lets Chat Noir talk too much then he's going to end up giving Luka too many hints to his identity. Carefully, Luka changes the subject. "Any word from Ladybug or Carapace?"

"Um." Chat Noir squirms and pulls his baton free, squinting at it as it lights up. Evidently night vision has downsides as well. "They're close!"

"How close?" Luka asks, unconsciously hugging Chat Noir closer as several loud crashes sound from _far _too near their hiding place.

Chat Noir, however, only perks up more. "That's them!"

Luka's not sure _what_ he does but suddenly Chat Noir's out of his arms and sprinting for the door. Caught off balance, Luka can only chase after him, hoping that Chat is right about Carapace and Ladybug having caught up with them. 

Luka does manage to catch hold of Chat Noir's tail just before he leaps back outside, though, keeping the superhero from bolting out into the middle of the battle alone.

"They're _here_," Chat Noir whines, yanking at his tail. "Let's _go_!"

Luka suddenly has a very bad feeling about how _much_ loud crashing is going on outside. He's fought with them before, he knows that Ladybug and Chat Noir are _not_ as careful fighting as most people seem to think, and if Ladybug's de-aged too-

She might be counting more than usual on Miraculous Cure resolving everything after the battle. 

Luka knows that it will, that she's not wrong, but that means it's possible Ladybug isn't being as cautious as she usually is and _that_ could be a problem.

"Wait," he tells Chat Noir, and to his surprise the hero does stop and turn to face him. "Let me retransform first, Chat Noir, we're going to need Second Chance."

Chat Noir _does_ wait, even though Luka can see the other boy practically vibrating with the urge to run out by Ladybug. Luka rapidly detransforms and finds something for Sass to eat. Chat Noir had been _very_ clear about the need to have food for his kwami on him at all times, and even though Luka doesn't usually have Sass he knows he can't predict when Ladybug will ask him for help.

It means he hopes that Sass doesn't mind slightly-squashed granola bars, because food that Luka can keep on his person at all times gives him limited options, but Sass only takes it from him with a grateful nod before unhinging his jaw to swallow it whole. 

Luka's a little caught off guard by that, but another, louder crash from outside demands the return of his attention immediately.

He's glad he retransformed when Chat Noir finally hits the end of his patience and bolts out the door. 

"Second Chance," Luka says hastily, struck by an immediate vision of Chat Noir running directly into danger. 

He's not wrong. He finds Carapace immediately outside, but the reason for Carapace's protective hovering is clear; he's keeping Chat Noir and Ladybug both behind his shield. 

(They both _fit_ behind his shield. That gives Luka a very uncomfortable ache, deep in his chest, but at least they _are_ shielded).

"Oh I am glad to see you," Carapace says, out of breath, as Viperion joins him and then immediately has to duck away as a bright blue bolt sears between them. Carapace doesn't move, though he winces as the edge of the beam bounces off his shield and strikes a lamppost. It doesn't _do_ anything to the lamppost, Viperion notes, and then wonders what would happen if it had caught a pigeon or a squirrel or any other nearby animal. 

He hadn't paid enough attention earlier to know if _everyone_ the akuma hits is reverting to around five, or if it's different depending on their initial ages, and he doesn't know how that translates to non-human interactions or even if it does at all.

"Lucky Charm!" comes loudly from behind them, in a voice higher and clearer than he's used to but no less determined, and Viperion glances back cautiously to see what the Charm is. He doesn't like to use Second Chance _after _a Charm is called if he can help it. 

Sometimes the Lucky Charm changes when he does that and that always makes him uneasy. Luka is pretty sure he can't deliberately inflict harm on a timeline, he doesn't think Sass _has_ that ability or would let any of his chosen use it, but-

It isn't like they don't have plenty of proof that their kwami's powers can all be abused. 

(_Their _kwami. Luka and Carapace might only be backup heroes, but it hadn't taken Luka long at all to put together that _all_ the Miraculous have kwami attached, and that means- that means that Hawkmoth has a kwami too. That makes Luka want to protect Sass, and the fact that he doesn't really _know_ Sass doesn't change that desire in the least).

The Lucky Charm is a slinky. 

Luka doesn't look for very long, because he can't afford to take his attention from the villain for too long, but when both of the more experienced heroes start _giggling_ he can't help himself. He looks back. 

Luka has to use his Second Chance a second later, because he's hit in those few seconds, but he looks long enough to see the way Ladybug and Chat Noir are tossing the slinky back and forth with increasingly reckless abandon as they slide out from behind Carapace in opposite directions and begin to run. They keep tossing the slinky, and Luka resists using his Second Chance at first, both curious and curiously unafraid until Carapace lets out a shout as he's hit too.

Luka starts, and remembers how sure he'd been that it's more than just a physical change, and twists his bracelet back. 

That time the Lucky Charm _is_ different, and Luka doesn't see how it's supposed to be used because as soon as he sets eyes on the simple ball-and-cup toy Chat Noir lets out a terrible yelp and Luka twists back time before he can see _what _could have caused Chat Noir to make that sound. 

The Lucky Charm is back to being a slinky, and this time around Luka knows to duck down and hunker behind Carapace long enough for the villain's aim to pass him by. The villain is more focused on him and Carapace, now, and not Ladybug and Chat Noir as they continue to run- as they start to move _forward_ instead of only out to either side, and Luka only realises they're flanking the akuma a moment before the slinky goes arching over the villain's head. 

The akuma flinches badly, head flying back to track the child's toy, and Ladybug and Chat Noir each dive at him from a separate side. Chat Noir's claws scrabble for purchase on the man's akumatised suit, but Ladybug triumphantly snatches something off his belt and snaps it. The akumatization falls away as she does, leaving only a bewildered middle-aged man, and Ladybug and Chat Noir twist towards each other to high five rather than their usual fist bump. 

"Thanks," Viperion tells Carapace as the other hero offers him a hand up. 

Carapace rubs the back of his neck. "No problem, dude. Don't really feel like I did very much, you know?" He nods at Ladybug where she's kneeling next to the akuma victim. "It was entirely her plan. I don't think she'd have gotten either of us if they hadn't both been hit already." His lips twitch. "I've got some experience babysitting, at least."

Luka laughs, surprised. "Is that what you think her reason was?"

Carapace laughs, too, but says, "Honestly? Yeah, I kind of think it was. They didn't really _need_ us here, you know? But," He hefts his shield and nods at Viperion's Miraculous. "I don't think they picked _us_ at random." 

Luka winces a little at the connotations of that, then stills when he realises something else. 

"Uh, dude?" Carapace asks, one eyebrow hiking. "You still good?"

"Yeah," Luka says, slowly. "Just- surprised. Ladybug hasn't used her Cure yet."

They both turn to look at the same time.

Ladybug and Chat Noir have gone back to throwing the slinky back and forth, giggling, and they aren't reacting to Ladybug's Miraculous counting down. For that matter, Viperion doesn't have much time left and Ladybug seems to have forgotten all about _his_ timer. 

"Okay," Luka says. "You might be right about the babysitting." 

It doesn't take much longer to catch the hero's attention again, and even though Ladybug seems oddly reluctant to restore the city this time she _does_ use Miraculous Cure fairly quickly after that. 

She looks between the three boys with a wince as her Miraculous sounds a more urgent warning. "Uh- okay. Carapace, Viperion's going to return his Miraculous to Chat Noir- can you do the same? _Without_ trying to find out each other's identities," she stresses, gesturing between Carapace and Viperion. 

Chat Noir looks oddly happy to hear this. 

"'Course," Carapace assures them, standing straighter and then sending a sideways glance at Luka. "I, uh, think Viperion better go first though." 

Right on time, Viperion's Miraculous beeps, only slightly off time with Ladybug's. 

"On that note," Ladybug says hastily, and swings out of sight seconds later. 

Luka has the _oddest_ feeling that she hasn't gone too far.

He still has things he wants to talk to her about, about today, but-

He wants to ask Chat Noir about them first anyway.

And after all, it isn't like Luka won't have another chance.

**Author's Note:**

> ...title is, uh, from eye to eye from the goofy movie.


End file.
